What Does Support Look Like?

sup·port (verb)

1. to bear all or part of the weight; hold up 
2. give assistance to; enable to function or act

Have you ever taken the time to consider what support looks like to YOU as an individual? We may assume that everyone feels supported by the same things, and although some might be universal, other support actions may not be as intuitive.

But before getting into the exercise, why is developing a strong support system so vital? Mayo Clinic writes, "Several studies have demonstrated that having a network of supportive relationships contributes to psychological well-being. When you have a social support network, you benefit in the following ways:

• Sense of belonging. Spending time with people helps ward off loneliness. Whether it's other new parents, dog lovers, fishing buddies or siblings, just knowing you're not alone can go a long way toward coping with stress.
• Increased sense of self-worth. Having people who call you a friend reinforces the idea that you're a good person to be around.
• Feeling of security. Your social network gives you access to information, advice, guidance and other types of assistance should you need them. It's comforting to know that you have people you can turn to in a time of need."

So support systems are important but how can people effectively show you support if you've never thought deeply about what support looks like to you? And honestly, how can you truly be a support to someone else if you are basing the support you provide solely on what you "think" would make the other person feel supported? Deep stuff. 

Below is a copy of my answers to the exercise. I took 5 minutes and tried not to over-think, too much. HA. I hope to be able to find out what "support looks like" to my family and friends too! For me, the most surprising things that came to mind were: thoughtful questions (you know, those that dig deeper than 'how are you doing?') soft voices, sitting together in silence, and inside jokes. 

Support systems are grounding and uplifting at the same time however, how we individually feel supported by those around us can be different. I hope you'll take 5 minutes today, or over the weekend, to do this little mental health exercise too. As poet, Thomas Merton once said, "We cannot be ourselves unless we know ourselves." :)

Creative Background

Picture my son created when I told him about my blog's title being "Silver Trumpets" due to the scripture of trumpets being blown to call a community together. <3

Secrets vs Privacy

All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret.
- Gabriel García Márquez

I took for granted that my teens knew the difference between secrets and privacy. I didn't realize it until today when my son was joking as he went to talk to a doctor and said, "Sorry Mom, I'm going to go tell her all my secrets now," to which this wise woman replied, "There's a difference between secrets and privacy.

Keeping secrets are often an act of not disclosing something that causes us pain or we believe is shameful. I realized my son might be fuzzy on the difference between secrets and privacy because kids who have spent time in foster care don't get much privacy. I've seen them be secretive because they feel shame about their situation. Some keep secrets about who they are because they've felt like something was wrong with them. They can keep their feelings, personality or situations that took place a secret so they don't feel more rejection if someone disagrees or disapproves. They can become almost sweet con artists...hustling to be loved and trying to fit what they think you'd want in a kid so they can feel belonging. Or they may become their worst selves so they can push you away and not risk more pain. Secrets. We all know kids have a natural bent toward keeping secrets so just imagine being thrown into a world of change and dismissal! 

However, privacy is withholding from public view. Private matters give some insight into the revealer if shared, but don't usually have shame or guilt attached. These can be personal held beliefs, ideas, and their physical self. On the website, Wired, one article stated well why kids struggle to obtain privacy, "Many teens feel as though they’re in a no-win situation when it comes to sharing information: damned if they publish their personal thoughts to public spaces, and damned if they create private space that parents can’t see." 

I want to make sure my teens know the difference between secrets and privacy. Also that I'm giving them the privacy and respect they need from me for their personal and psychological space. I was doing some research online and found some good points. Check out a few practical ways to respect your teen's privacy and show them that privacy is positive and secrets are different: 

• knocking before going into their room
• give them ample time alone in their room to unwind if they need it
• ask before looking in or getting things out of their school bag/room
• ask your child if they want you to be in the room when they see the doctor
• no eavesdropping their calls or at their door
• limit friending them on social media apps
• consider putting a lock on their bathroom door
• don't read their private journal - most teens just need a place to vent and writing helps some work out problems

Giving privacy reminds them you are trusting them to make good decisions.

Battling the Balrog

Life has been full of turmoil. I'm not talking just hard times of, "Oh, it's been stressful." No. The past six months sent me into full-on warrior mode and I've been taking a beating!

Remember in the Fellowship of the Ring movie when Gandalf battled the Balrog? That's fitting. Dark shadow, fire and smoke stepped towards me. Certainly, I gave my mighty shout to its sure defeat and I fought to protect my loved ones...yet as it began to fall into the abyss, it totally caught me in the thongs of its whip and pulled me down too!

As the battle rages, I find that many of the weapons I typically use during hard times are not enough. After all, I'm in a battle with a Balrog...just look at it!! So I have scrambled for better armaments. 

My Personal Balrog Weapons:   

 

Personal counseling: I signed up for weekly appointments (yup, that's right..weekly!) Life was coming too fast. I needed someone with whom I wasn't obligated to meet their needs. Speaking to friends and family during hard times is a lifesaver but those are two-way relationships. I am gaining a profession perspective and support from someone who can bear the FULL weight of my situation and does not expect or require any emotional support from me in return. Invaluable!

Purge: 

• Septic people and negative social media. I recently culled almost 60 people and 10 groups from my social media. I keep my social media small anyway but somethings still needed to change. Many of these people were "somebody that I used to know" people while others are ones who create drama and breed unrest in my life. Bye.
• Inflammatory, depressing, or violent news reporting. Talk about information overload! Being "in the know" was actually making things harder. Flash news has become an everyday occurrence. Instead, lighten your information intake. Turn off none essential notifications. I'm finding that TV news, email updates and trending links are often like a soap-opera. You can take a break from it and even when you do come back, the same things are going on. You won't miss much.
• Conventionalism. Because my preteen son is going through medical and emotional challenges, there are conventional expectation I've had to release for both for myself as Mom and for my children. You ready? Showers and brushing teeth every night, clean room, eating perfectly balanced meals...whatever! When you are in this kind of battle...think big picture. Battle your largest enemy. You can handle the smaller street fights all in good time.

Reboot: Although big changes can be stressful, sometimes a big change can lighten your load and be highly beneficial. Do you need to change jobs to lessen your stress? If you move to a different neighborhood would you gain a new beginning? For me, the reboot was spiritual. By August of 2016, I'd been following hard after God for over 17 years. When this battle ensued it took the largest toll on my relationship with God. Your Balrog battle may require you to take a hard look at your spiritual support system. As a single mom, my little adoptive family simply needed more support than my long-time, long distance church fellowship provided. For my own spiritual relationship with God and for my children's emotional and mental health, I transition us to a closer church to worship with a smaller group of disciples. 

Many will battle a Balrog eventually. Ultimately, in this battle one of the most powerful weapons has been to remember who I am truly fighting for...my relationship with God and my children.

"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers  

Finally, A Full House

Adoption. Done and done. My home is now full and I'm so completely happy. There was so much emotion on adoption day. As the lawyer and judge asked me the customary questions, I could barely choke out my responses through my happy tears. The judge asked Toby if he wanted "Miss Baker" to adopt him and he responded, "That's not Miss Baker...that's my momma!"

Adoption granted and celebration with family vacation followed. My home is now officially closed with the state of Texas. My kids burned my adoption certification page to confirm that my daughter no longer has to mess with the state and my son is (in his own words), "No longer a foster kid!"

Amen. Below are a few pictures of my family as we rejoice in ALL that God has done to bring us to this point.

Adoption Update & Prayer Requests

My son on my old European folding bike

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.
~ 1 Samuel 1:27 

Mr. T has selected his new legal name! I've mailed the official paperwork to the lawyer and Monday, July 11th has been requested for his adoption!! Besides requesting prayers that Monday, July 11th will indeed be approved as the finalization date, I have a couple of other prayer requests.

1. Peace in Mr. T's heart and mind that nothing is going to make the adoption fail, fall through and that I won't die. Both my children have expressed a fear that my death could cause them to go back into the system. He may begin more strongly testing me to see if my love for him will hold up. This behavior is common among older children as they get closer to being adopted. His anxiety is becoming more intense due to being disappointed and rejected by so many adults in the past. Like most children that enter care at an age when it's hard to understand why they are there (select green link to read previous post about little Super-man), Mr. T believes something is wrong with him. Subconsciously, to admit the failures of a blood family often bashes something deep within a child's own psyche because they carry the same biology. My sweet, smart and loving boy thinks he's going to mess things up and that somehow I'll change my mind and not want him. Get behind us, Satan, in Jesus' name. 

2. Patience and understanding from me as I parent and love both my children through this final month. July 11th will be monumental because Mr. T's adoption will also mark the first day the cord is completely cut with the state foster care system. My daughter has waited for this moment for almost 8 years now, Mr. T has been waiting for almost 4 years and for me it's been over 3 years since I began the process. I have a framed foster/adoption certificate that is required by the state to be displayed in our house since our home is foster approved. My kids asked me the other day if they can tear my certification paper in half and burn it. For me, getting certified to adopt was the way I found my children and I love that but I TOTALLY understand the symbolism it holds for them...so I will take a picture of it then let them rip and burn it, baby! May their healing continue.

Anyway, I can't wait. We are only 34 days away and my emotions go from joyful grins to tearful gratitude in an instant. Our family portraits are amazing and I look forward to sharing some of them with you! 

Thank you for all your support! Thank you for all your continued prayers. Thank you to those who have spent time with my children and loved up on them. A special thank you to Angie Mack for spending so much time with both my children!! They love you so much. Thank you Esther Mack for taking time at Easter to spend with us. Thank you to the Baars family for your love, care and for spending special time with both my kids. Especially, THANK YOU to my momma and papa for their love, understanding and amazing open hearts!

Most importantly, I'm thankful to God for his grace, mercy and love for me...for giving me the strength, support and resources to adopt as a single parent. I'm not worthy to be called "Mom" but I cherish it. 

Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me.~ Psalm 66:20

Summertime: Loving Kids Through Trauma's Triggers

Summer break is here! And my kids are not happy.

You would think these words would bring raised arms in joyful praise from my kids but really, summertime just brings stress of the unknown. The unknown and change of routine are often a trigger for children who have spent any significant time in foster care. Most times, the kids don't even know the cause of their anxiety...it's like their bodies, heart and minds just remember that Summer is usually filled with loss. For children who have lost biological family, friends and home, routine becomes golden. So naturally when routine changes again it seems to trigger remembrance of great loss.

I'm thankful for the training and study I did before becoming an adoptive mom! But as trained as I am, I'm still human and sometimes slow to connect my child's sudden stank behavior with loss and fear. So you may be wondering, "Then how do you know when a kid's behavior is because of a trauma trigger?" Great question! My best estimation is when the reaction doesn't fit the situation. I've worked with teens for over a decade now and although we know that biologically they tend towards overreacting, my kids will go from zero to explosive faster than your head looks right. It's not violent, it's more like a sudden fight-or-flight response.

Maybe my example from last night will help? Last night, I told my kids I was going to make them an "I'm proud of you celebration end-of-school dinner." While cooking, my son mentions getting a lot of classmates' phone numbers. I think of a lot as probably 8'ish but in his mind a lot is 3 however I didn't know that at the time. He asked if I could place them all on his phone's safe list and, to try to manage his expectations in case they don't all fit, I mention that we probably could but we'd need to check because the phone company has a pre-set limit to the amount of safe list numbers. *Explosion* "Why do I have to have a safe list? I want you to check right now and see if they'll all fit! I hate summer, it's stupid! Why do I have to go to day camp?! It's just like school without learning."

Fight. So there I was exhausted and not feeling well but trying to do something nice for my children and instead of thankfulness I'm suddenly put in front of a firing squad of loud questioning and demands? So unfortunately, I tend to do what I've trained myself to do when anyone who is male starts yelling at me and treating me disrespectfully...I step forward into their space, with I'm sure a crazy, angry look on my face, and verbally put them in their place. Even adults have triggers...know yourself.

Flight. My son took off to his room.

*sigh* Defeat? Hmmm...set-back. My training didn't kick in fast enough for me to accurately evaluate what was going on at the moment or control my own reaction. In the past, I'd get mad at myself when I didn't react perfectly...but really it's an opportunity to show my kids how adults apologize, talk things out and reconcile.

So here's the real issue. My son's going into his first summer with our family. He doesn't know what to expect. He's just had 5 months of a whole lot of new...new school, finally making some new friends and is mourning the loss of not getting to see them every day. Having their numbers on his safe list is his only way to connect with them over the summer. It's priceless to him. The sudden thought of not knowing if he'd ever get to speak to them again triggers anger and loss of all the past friends he's lost each year at summer due to being in foster care. He's almost 11 years old, so do you think he knows all this in that instant and can articulate that in the moment? No way!

My daughter's summertime anxiety triggered in April but she's coming out on the other side of her stress and last night she totally recognized what was happening with her new brother. She came in to help me finish dinner and loved up on me then went and spoke softly to him through the door and brought him dinner. I let him eat in his room and went in to talk to him afterwards. I learned the things I shared above that were creating anxiety, apologized for my failure in responding well and shared with him that I'd love for him to come out and join us in the living room. But asked that he would wait until he was ready to apologize for his part too.

Ten minutes later he walked up to me, put his head on my arm and said, "Mommy, I'm sorry." Forgiveness all around and we were on our way to a night that was completely pleasant and joyful! The three of us laughed, talked and shared about our day. It was a beautiful evening with a slight smudge at the beginning. We are more bonded and all more aware of how each other is feeling. It reminds me of a muscle being built...there's a little tearing before it can get stronger!

When kids have gone through traumatic times, this quote stands true: "My kid's not giving me a hard time, he's having a hard time." And it's my job to help them put a name on what they are feeling so they can learn to heal and grow. I want to love them through those nasty triggers and I want to learn to master my own.

I'm sharing all this because maybe other parents who've adopted or foster are hitting challenges? Maybe others need a reminder that times like summer break, which may have brought us joy in our childhood, can produce a different response in our children? Maybe you feel like you reacted poorly and have blown it? I'm just reminding myself and others, to keep loving them, keep loving yourself...keep loving. Others probably won't understand all that's going on under the radar because they've not read the huge binders of hurt our kids carry but you have so keep on loving. As I always say to my kids...it takes work to make this work. Thankfully, our work is love.

Adoption Update for Mr. T.

Yesterday the lawyer and I emailed about Mr. T's upcoming adoption. Finalization should be on or around July 11th if all things go well and I'm getting excited! As a family, we are having a really good week together which is refreshing because, as many adoptive families can attest, the first few months of building and bonding time are not sunshine and roses. 

In fact, two weeks ago I was on the brink of utter burnout from all the challenges and walls we had hit. Then a girl friend called and I poured out my heart. The way a straight match adoption is set up, there is no respite provide for parents...at least not like there is when fostering to adopt. Life has been a whirlwind and I haven't had any significant time to myself in over 6 months. My spirit was becoming numb. After listening and speaking words of comfort and understanding, she shared she was getting all the paperwork in line to get her background check and FBI fingerprinting completed so she could watch the kids for me AND she asked me to plan some rest time for myself while she spent time with them. WHAT?!?! In fact, we decided on a weekend right then and there! She's an angel really. Angie Mack, you are God sent. 

Suddenly this possibility of an upcoming solo mini-adventure turned my whole mood around. With a respite break now in sight, I gained new perspective and enthusiasm. I've found the perfect little spot for my adventure. Now I'm trying to decide what to do while there. A reading vacation? An artistic retreat? Should I go on a "listening walk" or have a self spa-treatment time? Besides sleep (haha) what does my body, mind, and spirit really need? I'm still working that out but here are a few things I've decided. 

My time away needs to be:

• SLOW: I want to be at ease, have a breezy nature and mellow out. I purchased an Aeropress kit, grinder and gourmet coffee beans so that I can enjoy the process of making coffee. I will relax and take time to notice sounds around me, smells, and colors.

• SIMPLE: I'm bringing simple, healthy foods. My clothes will be fresh and comfy. I will unplug and detox my mind. I do not want to think about bills, or housecleaning, yard maintenance or my job. Nor will I spend time thinking about what I should be doing to be a better mom.

• CREATIVE: I'll only take a favorite quote book, my bible, a sketch pad and some drawing pencils.

The only thing I haven't decided on is if this time should be reflective? The last three years of this certification and adoption journey is about to end and I'm moving to the next chapter. All of our lives are about to change! One of the largest focuses in my life over the past three years has been fostering and adoption but very soon I will be closing my home with the state. I'm honestly excited to close my home!! This means no more training classes, meetings, no more strange regulations like not using tin foil in the fridge and no more requirements to have baby plug protectors in the sockets even though my kids are 10 and 17 years old. This means my kids will not have all the restrictions on them either or so many prying eyes into their lives and thoughts. All three of us are going to have freedoms we've not had in YEARS! 

In light of this, part of me feels the desire to reflect and celebrate this past three years personally as a woman and a Christian. God placed my feet on the doorstep of this exciting section of my life and I've completed the task he gave me of finding the children he had set aside who needed me, specifically. Now, I am a Mom and I have my kids. I know their names, faces, habits, struggles. I know the sound of their laugh, have wiped their tears with my own hand, and hugged them tight before tucking them into their beds. Those special beds inside the rooms I prayed in and over for months...inside the home God put on my heart to purchase in 2010, way before I'd even though super seriously about adopting and yet buying the home all the while knowing and trusting that somehow HE WOULD FILL IT. And He has.

This is actually a monumental time!

I don't want to forget to soak in all these things because of the rush...so YES, even just writing that has made it clear. 

• REFLECTION: I will laugh, shed tears of gratitude and refocus on the excitement of the next new chapter of life with MY children. YAY!!!!

Here are some pre-trip pictures of the my adventure sanctuary. :) I'll post more after my mini-vacation which is still a while away.

PS and other thank you(s): 

I want to thank Rachel Baars for also being so willing to get certified to watch Mr. T. Even though we've not been able to arrange anything yet, her heart to love me and try to meet this need is so moving. I'm also grateful for her willingness to help me get Rene' to some of her Driver's Ed classes!

Thank you to Angela and Mark Thomas for taking time to also drive Rene' to those other Driver's Ed. classes, for your encouragement and love during such a crazy, stressful, joyful time in our lives.

Breakfast Devotionals - Bringing Family Together

It happened. My little family just grew by two more feet! And those feet belong to a pre-teen boy who wears a size 6.5 shoe. Yay! My wonderful daughter has gained the sibling she's dreamed of having and I have an amazing son. After months of waiting, praying and wondering what would happen next, finally my son was officially placed in my home January 2016! We still have the state required "6 month waiting period" before we can finalize the adoption, but I'm committed to him and so is my family. 

One desire of my heart right now is to deeply bond and bring our family of three closer together. Everything changes when you suddenly have a new person in the mix but each day we develop a closer bond through laughter, tears, new experiences and normal routine. 

As part of our normal routine, I've tried to incorporate a weekly, bible-based family devotional. I began them when my daughter moved in but I'd not quite "figured it out" or always been consistent. This past weekend we had our first family devotional with the three of us. I'm sure it went okay but afterward I began feeling our devotionals needed to undergo some adjustments. My children have a seven year age gap so longer devotionals that draw out deep topics for my seventeen year old daughter are not necessarily a good fit for teaching my 4th grader. And yet, if I shortened the weekly devo to something better for his attention span and level, I feared she might not get what she needed either. Hmmm...

So I began praying to God and while sifting through devotional books online, I was reminded of Corrie ten Boom's book, "The Hiding Place." In the book, she wrote about how her father would read from the bible every morning to his family. I meditated on that and decided that a Monday - Friday breakfast devotional was the answer! 

Neither of my children grew up in or around a church, so the devotional book I selected is Grace for the Moment: 365 Devotions for Kids by Max Lucado. Each day is one page with a scripture, topic, and practical. Having a "bite-size" daily devotional instead of a "full meal" weekly one meets my children's needs. Benefits include, bonding deeper as a family, hearing God's word more often, and having a daily spiritual focus. This also gives me the opportunity to "each day proclaim the good news that [the Lord] saves" to my children by feeding them both spiritually and physically at the same time. (A1.) I've already shared with them about my personal conviction of spending daily time with God so, who knows? Maybe they can even begin seeing the power of spending consistent times with God in their own lives too! 

In case you are curious, here's an example of how a breakfast-devo flows for us. Today we sat down to breakfast and (using what my kids have affectionately nick-named 'awkward prayer hands' - ha) I prayed over them individually. I prayed specifically into the challenges each are facing at school with classwork, friends, and other situations. As they ate breakfast, I read today's daily devotional. It included the scripture, "But the wisdom that comes from God is pure, peaceful, and gentle..." then Max shared short reminders of when Jesus had exhibited his peacefulness and gentleness. (A2.) Afterwards, we took turns sharing what stood out to us and each committed to focus on being peaceful and gentle throughout our day, like Jesus. :)

Now, for your family, a breakfast-devo simply might not work. That's totally okay! This is just the way God has directed me as he Father's my little clan so I wanted to encourage others by sharing.

May your day be peaceful and gentle.

A1. scripture - 1 Chronicles 1 6:23b

A2. scripture - James 3:17b

Embrace the Mystery

Currently, I'm waiting to get news on when a staffing meeting will be held by the state to decide whether or not I'd be a good match for a preteen boy who needs a forever family. There is a lot of hopefulness that I'll get picked and also a ton of waiting right now which can make me impatient. All the workers are probably busy with helping other grateful families during National Adoption Month and also the Thanksgiving holiday being right around the corner could delay things. So I find myself moving between content in the timing and impatient for answers. And let me just tell you, "impatience for answers" is never a healthy place for me to camp out. So tonight, I'm spending some time with God meditating on the beauty of mystery. I've been in the bible, in some poetry books and searching online on the topic of mystery. This time reflecting on the mysteries of God has been so refreshing. I'm finding that an amazing calmness springs up in my heart as I embrace how mysterious the Lord is in everything He orchestrates. Here's just a taste...enjoy! 
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1 Timothy 3:16 "Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory." 

A.W. Tozer, " We cover our deep ignorance with words, but we are ashamed to wonder, we are afraid to whisper mystery." 

Ecc. 11:5 TLB, God’s ways are as mysterious as the pathway of the wind and as the manner in which a human spirit is infused into the little body of a baby while it is yet in its mother’s womb. 

Matthew Henry commentary on Ecc. 11 [para] - We don't know the way of the Spirit. We know not when it comes, or when it goes, or when it will turn. The same can be said of the human soul; we know that God made us, and gave us these souls, but how our specific souls entered into these bodies, are united to them, animate them, and operate upon them, we can't understand! The soul is a mystery. For all that we do know, we cannot describe the infusing of the body with a soul; both, we know, are the work of God, and we yield to in his work, but cannot trace the process of the operation. And because of this great mystery and his powerful working, we may well trust God to provide for us... 

Build, with faith, in the wait.

New table - has butterfly leaf that transforms it to seat 8 people!

Lately, I think I've been nesting again. Life with my daughter is going amazing and although God's not opened the door yet for another child for me or a sibling for her, we've been doing what families do...soaking up life together.

We have also been preparing for the upcoming holidays. Our Halloween yard decorations are planned already since she has begged me to "make it legit this year, Mom." *laughing* Done, girl. Recently, I bought a beautiful dining room table and chairs that seats up to 8 people. I was a bit cautious at first but, after visiting 10 stores looking for the perfect table, I'm ecstatic with this buy. Our new table has already gotten so much use now that we have something larger and a bit more comfy. Another holiday I recently made a purchase for was Christmas. I swooped up a dreamy Christmas tree! This artificial tree stands proudly at 7.5 ft. and is heavily flocked with long needles and gentle, white lights.

So what's with all the money spending? Well, I've been praying about that and thinking a lot about my purchases to check my motives. (Do you ever do that?) The only way I can explain it is that when I "nest" I'm building, with faith, in the wait. This is not the first time I've done this either. For example, I just celebrated the five year anniversary of purchasing my home. Five short years ago, I bought a three bedroom home as a single woman. This.was.a.faith.move. I had no one to fill the house. No potential female roommates from church, no children, and I wasn't dating anyone but God drew me to the home. I knew it as soon as I walked through the door that I was suppose to buy this house and I knew He would fill it and make it a home! So in the meantime I nested. Even back then, I built, with faith, in the wait until finally, BAM, I have a daughter! Ha. #adoptionrocks

And I'm waiting again. I'm waiting for God to add to my family because something in my spirit tells me God's not done. I have no clue on his timing. I have zero information on the plans He's drawn up but I'm committed to keep building with faith during this wait. After all, there is only two of us in my home right now but I just bought a table for eight! That's a faith move! But I believe God can fill it...one way or another and if He does, my home will be ready. This morning, I can say with confidence, "My God is up to something!" I can't tell you exactly what, who, or even when but I feel His prompting as He's preparing my heart so I'm preparing too. I want to be ready.

Are you waiting on something to happen that God's placed on your heart? How are you building, with faith, during your wait? I think for many of us, it's hard to make faith moves because we think more about how stupid we'd feel if things don't turn out than about how much it pleases God to take steps of faith! So let me remind you...if you make faith moves, God can come through. Don't you believe that He wants to come through?! Work on stretching your faith and be bolder. Have faith in God.
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Faith verses to ponder: 

2 Samuel 22:26 “To the faithful you [God] show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.

Psalm 119:30 "I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your [the Lord's] regulations.

Isaiah 7:9 "But this is what the Sovereign Lord says...Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” 

Habakkuk 2:4 “...But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

Matthew 9:29 "Then he [Jesus] touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”

Matthew 15:28 “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

Matthew 17:20-21 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.”

Matthew 21:22 "You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” ~Jesus

Galatians 5:22 "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness..."

2 Thessalonians 1:11 "So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.

Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:6 "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

James 1:2-4 "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

New Christmas Tree